Bootstrapping a runyankore CNL from an isiZulu CNL

Abstract

Runyankore is one of the top five languages spoken in Uganda. It is a Bantu language, thus it possesses the characteristic agglutinative structure, known to be challenging for the development of computational resources. It is also computationally under-resourced, which compounds the problem further. Given the recent progress in verbalization (writing the semantics expressed in axioms as CNL) of most constructors in the Description Logic ALC in isiZulu, we take a bootstrapping approach to verbalization of similar constructors in Runyankore. The key variables affecting verbalization in isiZulu indeed also hold for Runyankore, allowing us to build on existing background theory. We present verbalization patterns for most ALC constructors, also covering the ‘hasX’ role naming. Evaluation of text generated with 18 nonlinguists found a clear preference for verbalization in the singular for subsumption (as with isiZulu), existential quantification, and negation in the context of subsumption; but the plural form of verb negation.